Thores-Cross  is a haunting novel set in the North Yorkshire Moors about isolation, superstition and persecution. Thores-Cross follows the stories of Emma, a present day writer, and Jennet, an eighteenth century witch.

Emma becomes fixated on Jennet, neglecting herself, her beloved dogs and her husband to the point where her marriage may not survive. As Jennet and Emma’s lives become further entwined, Emma’s obsession deepens and she realises that the curse Jennet inflicted on the Ramsgill family over two hundred years ago is still claiming lives. Emma is the only one who can stop Jennet killing again, but will her efforts be enough?

What genre is it?
Historical/Ghost

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
I think it will appeal to a wide range of readers, in particular fans of historical fiction, British fiction and paranormal/ghost stories, and I hope that fans of Barbara Erskine, Kate Mosse and Philippa Gregory will enjoy it.

Everyone loves Barbara Erskine. Any book in particular?
Lady of Hay.

Tell us a bit more about Emma and Jennet.
Emma Moorcroft is still grieving after a late miscarriage and moves to her dream house at Thruscross Reservoir with her husband, Dave. Both Emma and Dave hope that moving into their new home signifies a fresh start, but life is not that simple. Emma has nightmares about the reservoir and the drowned village that lies beneath the water, and is further disturbed by the sound of church bells – from a church that no longer exists.

Jennet Scot is fifteen and lives in the isolated community of Thores-Cross, where life revolves about the sheep on which they depend. Following the sudden loss of both her parents, she is seduced by the local wool merchant, Richard Ramsgill. She becomes pregnant and is shunned not only by Ramsgill, but by the entire village. Lonely and embittered, Jennet’s problems escalate, leading to tragic consequences which continue to have an effect through the centuries.

Have you written any other books that we should read next?
I have written the first two books of the Valkyrie Series – An Ill Wind and Dead Reckoning – both historical adventures of piracy, love and revenge in the Caribbean in the seventeenth century.

We’ll definitely check them out. Tell us something about yourself. Who is Karen Perkins?
Karen Perkins lives in Yorkshire with her partner, also a writer. She has been a keen sailor since childhood, competing nationally and internationally until the day she had both National and European Ladies Champion titles – and a terminally bad back.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
www.lionheartgalleries.co.uk.

How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook?
@ValkyrieSeries
@LionheartG
https://www.facebook.com/LionheartPublishing.

What’s next?
A further novella, Look Sharpe!, and novel, Ready About!, in the Valkyrie Series will be published at the end of 2013, and Cultural Exile, a novel about the cultural difficulties people face when they come to live in Britain, and co-authored by Peter Mutanda, will be published in 2014 by LionheART Publishing House.